On 21 March 1930 the United States Postmaster-General awarded
the Roosevelt Steamship Company a mail contract for a weekly service
from Baltimore and Norfolk to Hamburg, with or without a call at a French
port, by five 16 knot passenger-cargo liners ; all having accommodation
for 81 tourist class passengers, mostly in rooms with private bath.
At that time, the Roosevelt Steamship Company, presided over by Cermit
Roosevelt, and the International Mercantile Marine Company, whose president
was P. A. S. Franklin, were closely allied.
They founded the Baltimore Mail Steamship Company, which was incorporated
in the State of Maryland on 7 July 1930.

The United States Maritime Commission finally decided in 1937 that the
Baltimore Mail Steamship Company was a non-essential service.
Meanwhile, the Company had applied to the Maritime Commission to run
the five ships in the coastal trade between New York and San Francisco
via the Panama Canal as replacements for the California, Pennsylvania
and Verginia of the Panama Pacific Line wich were running for Moore McCormack
between New York and South America.
This was allowed by the US Government and the United States Line, then
a subsidiary of the International Mercantile Marine Company, operated
the ships under the trade name of Panama Pacific Line.

Many thanks to Henk Jungerius and Ted Finch for their assistance
in collecting this data. The following list was extracted from various
sources. This
is not an
all inclusive list but should only be used as a guide. If you would like
to know more about a vessel, visit the Ship
Descriptions (onsite) or Immigrant
Shipweb site.

Routes:

Baltimore-London or Le Havre-Hamburg

Hamburg- Le Havre or Southampton-Baltimore

Funnel:Yellow with black top and narrow red band.

Fleet:

Vessel

Built

Years in Service

Tons

City of Baltimore

1918

built by Union Iron Works, San Francisco | Completed
in 1918 as the single-screw, steel-hulled freighter Steadfast for
the United States Shipping Board, 1931, acquired by the Baltimore
Mail Steamship Co. and reconstructed and lengthened renamed City
of Baltimore, 1938 sold to Panama-Pacific Line not renamed, 1940
acquired by US Navy renamed Heywood and used as a troop transportship,
1946 in Reserve Fleet, 1957 scrapped.

8,424

City of Hamburg

1919

built by Union Iron Works, San Francisco | Laid-down
for the British government as War Surf,but the ship was completed
in 1920 as the single-screw, steel-hulled freighter Eclipse for the
United States Shipping Board, 1930 acquired by the Baltimore Mail
Steamship Co. and reconstructed and lengthened renamed City of Hamburg,
1938 sold to Panama-Pacific Line and renamed City of San Francisco,
1940 acquired by US Navy renamed William P. Biddle and used as a
troop transportship, 1946 in Reserve Fleet, 1957 scrapped.

8,424

City of Havre

1918

built by Union Iron Works, San Francisco | Laid-down
for the British government as War Haven,but the ship was completed
in 1921 as the single-screw, steel-hulled freighter Victorious for
the United States Shipping Board, 1931, acquired by the Baltimore
Mail Steamship Co. and reconstructed and lengthened renamed City
of Havre, 1938 sold to Panama-Pacific Line renamed City of Los Angeles,
1940 acquired by US Navy renamed George F. Elliot and used as a troop
transportship, 1942 sunk by Japanese crippled warplane off Savo Island.

8,424

City of Newport News

1918

built by Union Iron Works, San Francisco | Laid-down
for the British government as War Wave, but completed in 1921 as
the single-screw, steel-hulled freighter Archer for the United States
Shipping Board, 1931, acquired by the Baltimore Mail Steamship Co.
and reconstructed and lengthened renamed City of Newport News, 1938
sold to Panama-Pacific Line not renamed, 1940 acquired by US Navy
renamed Fuller and used as a troop transportship, 1946 in Reserve
Fleet, 1957 scrapped.

8,424

City of Norfolk

1918

built by Union Iron Works, San Francisco | Laid-down
for the British government as War Harbour, but the ship was completed
in 1921 as the single-screw, steel-hulled freighter Independence
for the United States Shipping Board, 1930, acquired by the Baltimore
Mail Steamship Co. and reconstructed and lengthened renamed City
of Norfolk, 1938 sold to Panama-Pacific Line not renamed, 1940 acquired
by US Navy renamed Nelville and used as a troop transportship, 1946
in Reserve Fleet, 1957 scrapped.